they say there’s a second roanoke under the first one
not tunnels like cities have
not tourist caves with helmets and gift shops
i mean the real ones
wet rock lungs breathing slow under your feet
you don’t find them on purpose
they open up behind things
a busted fence off orange
a slit in the woods past a half-dead trail
a place where the ground just gives up pretending
and inside
it’s colder than it should be
even in july
sound works different
drips echo like footsteps
your own breathing sounds like someone else is there
people go down there
not hikers
not families
kids with flashlights that barely work
someone’s older brother who swears he knows the way
someone who said they needed to get out for a minute and didn’t say from what
there’s always marks on the walls
names half scratched in
dates that don’t make sense
symbols nobody admits to drawing
and deeper in
stuff gets left behind
a hoodie
empty bottles
a single shoe
once, a shopping cart that definitely didn’t get there by accident
you stay long enough
you start thinking about how close the town is above you
cars passing
people arguing in parking lots
someone ordering fries
someone falling asleep with the tv on
all of it just…
right there
but down here it doesn’t reach
no signal
no time
just rock and water and whatever you brought in with you
some people say there are exits miles away
like you could walk under the whole valley if you knew how
nobody ever proves it
mostly
you come back the same way you went in
mud on your hands
that cave smell stuck in your clothes
a little quieter than before
and if you listen later
back in your room
windows closed
lights off
you can still hear it
drip
drip
drip
#thegleest #roanokeva #bewarethegleestak
